Providing directed content to anonymous customers

• US 20070007337A1
• Filed: 07/11/2005
• Published: 01/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OL Security LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: MCI Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Clark, Todd, Fox, Ethan, O'Neill, David
• Granted Patent: US 7,624,923 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/383
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A method includes electronically identifying a first item that a customer intends to purchase while the customer is shopping and electronically providing content to the customer in response to the identifying to entice the customer to purchase a second, different item.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

reading, via a device, a tag associated with a first item that a customer intends to purchase; and

presenting content to the customer in response to the reading, the content identifying a second item relating to the first item.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the tag includes a radio frequency identification tag, and

wherein the detecting includes:

reading the tag via the device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the device includes a sensor located in a fixed position in a store in which the customer is located.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the device includes a sensor located on a shopping cart or shopping basket associated with the customer.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the presenting includes:

displaying the content to the customer.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the presenting includes:

audibly providing the content to the customer.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein a relationship between the first item and the second item is determined based on past purchases of the first item.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first item is associated with an identifier, and

wherein the reading includes:

causing the tag to transmit the identifier to the device.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

using the identifier to retrieve the content.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the content to retrieve using the identifier is configurable.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

reading a second tag associated with another item substantially simultaneously with the reading the tag;

selecting the other item or the first item; and

using the selected other item or first item for identifying content.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the selecting includes:

selecting the other item or the first item based on one or more criteria.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the one or more criteria includes at least one of margin, price, or an amount of promotion.

14. A system comprising:

a first component configured to;

read information from a first tag associated with a first item, and transmit the information;

a second component configured to;

receive the transmitted information,

use the transmitted information to identify content for a user, the content relating to a second item, and

transmit the identified content; and

a third component configured to;

receive the identified content, and

present the identified content to the user.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the first tag is a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the first component, the second component, and the third component are remotely located.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the first component, the second component, and the third component are contained within a single device.

18. The system of claim 14 wherein the information identifies an item in a store, and

wherein the content includes visual or audible information regarding another item in the store.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the first component is located in an aisle of the store and the third component is located in proximity to the first component.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein the first component is affixed to one of a shopping cart or shopping basket and the third component is located in proximity to the first component.

21. The system of claim 14 further comprising:

a content server remotely located from the second component, the content server being configured to;

provide content to the second component,

wherein the second component and the content server are part of an enterprise content deliver network.

22. A method comprising:

reading a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag associated with a first item that a customer intends to purchase; and

providing content about a second item to the customer in response to the reading.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the second item relates to the first item.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising:

determining a relationship between the first item and the second item based on past purchases of the first item.

25. The method of claim 22 wherein the content includes information to entice the customer to purchase the second item.

26. A method comprising:

electronically identifying a first item that a customer intends to purchase while the customer is shopping; and

electronically providing content to the customer in response to the identifying to entice the customer to purchase a second, different item.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the electronically identifying includes:

reading a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag associated with the first item.

28. The method of claim 26 wherein the electronically providing includes:

visually providing the content to the customer.

29. The method of claim 26 wherein the electronically providing includes:

audibly providing the content to the customer.

30. The method of claim 26 wherein the electronically identifying includes:

detecting the first item via a sensor located in an aisle of a store in which the customer is shopping.